photo:omdvsothers
comparison of Olympus OM-D E-M1 camera with Fuji XT-1 and Sony full frame
Sony a7 II
pros
cons
sensor IS not as effective as the E-M1
not yet available
very few lenses optimised for CDAF
large, heavy, expensive lenses
when used with the Sony 24-70mm f/4 lens which is almost twice the price of the Olympus 14-40mm f/2.8 lens, one gains 1 stop
DOF control and around 0.5EV of high ISO performance, and similar resolution, but more vignetting
only 25 CDAF points?
only 5fps
expensive $A1798 on pre-order Dec 2014
Sony a7R
pros
cons
no IS built-in
no PDAF so C-AF not useful
very few lenses optimised for CDAF
no electronic first curtain
large, heavy, expensive lenses
when used with the Sony 24-70mm f/4 lens which is almost twice the price of the Olympus 14-40mm f/2.8 lens, one gains 1 stop
DOF control and similar high ISO performance, and some increased resolution if used on a tripod, but more vignetting
only 25 CDAF points
really need to use on tripod for maximum resolution
“the A7R is a very, very demanding beast to shoot in the field. The small size, relatively low mass and very loud/ rough shutter mechanism mean that you need higher than expected shutter speeds to yield perfect pixels; we’re talking 1/125 at an absolute minimum for the 55mm, and ideally 1/200+ for consistent results. Below 1/200 you may well see very faint double images; it’s as though something ‘jumps’ halfway through the exposure.”
1)
no touch screen
more expensive $A1564 discounted rate at Dec 2014
Sony a7S
pros
great for high quality video, along with the Panasonic GH-4
full frame sensor with class leading high ISO performance thanks to only 12mp - perhaps 2-3EV better than the others here
sensitive live view allows visualisation of Milky Way for astroscapes
-
4K video but only with external recorder via a clean HDMI output
50Mbps XAVC S MP4 1080 HD video at 24p or 60p and 720 120p mode
'Picture Profile' system allows very flat SLog2 gamma
zebra as well as peaking for video
autoISO in Manual exposure mode
buttons, dials and menus are identical to those found on the a7 and a7R
cons
very few lenses optimised for CDAF
large, heavy, expensive lenses
when used with the Sony 24-70mm f/4 lens which is almost twice the price of the Olympus 14-40mm f/2.8 lens, one gains 1 stop
DOF control and around 1-2EV of high ISO performance, but less resolution and more vignetting
only 25 CDAF points
not as much dynamic range at base ISO compared to a7 and a7R, and no where near as good as the Olympus OM-D cameras
the 16mp Olympus OM-D cameras will generally give more perceived resolution
burst rate only 5fps
no built-in sensor shift IS
poor shutter release - cannot easily detect half-press button
no timelapse - need cumbersome app
rear LCD only 0.92mdots and not a touch screen
longest timed shutter only 30sec
expensive $A1850 discounted Dec 2014
reviews
Fuji XT-1
pros
nice styling and controls although rear controls average
slightly larger DX sensor gives more DOF control
very nicer large dual view EVF
36Mbps 1080 60p video but issues with image quality?
C-AF tracking at 8fps
split image manual focus aid as well as peaking
cons
no touch screen
burst rate drops to 3fps with live view on
mod. large/heavy/expensive lenses
limited lens range
no sensor based IS
longest timed shutter only 30sec
shortest shutter only 1/4000thsec
flash sync a slow 1/180th sec
exposure compensation only ±3EV
expensive $A1337 discounted Dec 2014
reviews
Olympus OM-D E-M1
pros
most fun in using a camera out of the non-Olympus peers outlined here
sensor based IS
excellent dynamic range
image stabilised magnified view MF
touch screen adds to the fun scale - touch on a subject and near instant AF and capture
Live Composite, Bulb and Timed modes
81 area CDAF
extensive lens catalogue
fastest flash sync at 1/250th-1/320th sec
10fps burst (only 6.5fps with C-AF tracking)
shutter 1/8000th sec - 60sec then timed BULB available
price discount makes it very affordable $A880 (discounted Dec 2014)
“The E-M1 has three aces: firstly, its stabilizer is so good that you claw back most, if not all, of the high ISO advantage of the A7 and A7R for handheld shooting in low light. It also means that you don’t have stability issues – my ‘technical’ hit rate with the E-M1 is close to 100% because of this. You can shoot at pretty much any shutter speed with impunity. Ace number two is weather sealing: I’m sure you’ve all seen [what I did to the E-M1 in the shower]. The final, largest ace is the lens system: not only is the M4/3 lens system arguably the most mature mirrorless system with the greatest diversity of options – the lenses were all designed specifically for digital from the ground up. Even the kit lenses are pretty good, and the excellent glass – like the [60/2.8 and 75/1.8] is really special by any standards.”
2)
cons
OM-D cameras compared
feature | E-M10 | E-M5 | E-M5II | E-M1 |
date released | Jan 2014 | April 2012 | Feb 2015 | Oct 2013 |
price $AU Dec 2014 | $A699 now $A491 | $A1199 now $A449 | | $A1599 now $A878 |
image quality | | | | |
sensor | 16mp | 16mp | 16mp | 16mp PDAF |
dark frame noise for 60sec shots 3) | good, to ISO 1600? | good, to ISO 1600 | ? | poor, only good to ISO 400 |
sensor shift hi-res | no | no | yes 40mp? | no |
AA filter removed | no | no | ? | yes |
sensor IS | 3 axis | 5 axis | 5 axis | 5-axis enhanced |
electronic 1st shutter to reduce shake | yes | no | yes? | yes |
flash sync | 1/200th | 1/250th | ? | 1/320th |
image capture | | | | |
processing engine | Truepic VII | Truepic VI | Truepic VII? | Truepic VII |
1/8000th sec | no | no | ? | yes |
max. burst rate | 8fps | 9fps | ? | 10fps |
max. burst rate with AF | 3.5fps | 4.2fps | ? | 6.5fps |
RAW buffer | 16 at 8fps, 20 at 3.5fps | 11 at 9fps, 17 at 4.2fps | | 40 at 10fps, 51 at 6.5fps |
AF with Four Thirds lenses | slow | slow | slow? | fast |
PDAF | no | no | no? | 37 points |
sensor CDAF | 800pts | 35 area | 800? | 81 area |
C-AF tracking | poor | poor | poor? | good |
exposure compensation | ±5EV | ±3EV | ? | ±5EV |
WiFi remote control with Live View | yes | no | yes | yes |
WiFi image transfer | yes | via WiFi SD cards only | yes | yes |
Lightroom tethered shooting | no | no | no | yes |
Auto HDR mode | yes | no | yes? | yes |
HDR 2 or 3EV bracketing x 3 or 5 frames | yes | no | yes? | yes |
Live Composite | yes | no | yes | yes |
Live BULB / Timed | yes | yes | yes | yes |
multi-exposure mode | yes | yes | yes | yes |
intervalometer | 999 frames | 99 frames | ? | 999 frames |
10fps 720p 16:9 time lapse movie | yes | no | yes | yes |
build / ergonomics | | | | |
dust/splash proof | no | yes | yes | yes |
freeze proof | no | no | ? | yes |
built-in grip | no | no | no | yes |
built-in flash | yes | no | no | no |
opt. basic compact grip | yes | yes | yes | N/A |
opt. battery/portrait grip | no | HLD-6 | yes | HLD-7 |
2×2 switch | cut-down version | no | no? | yes |
EVF | 1.44m, 1.15x, 20mm eyepoint | 1.44m, .92x, 18mm eyepoint | ? | 2.36m, 1.3x, 21mm eyepoint |
LCD tilt touch screen | 1.04mdot, adaptive brightness | 610k dot | 1.04mdot? | 1.04mdot, adaptive brightness |
PC sync socket | no | no | no | yes |
accessory port | no | yes | yes? | yes |
weight with battery | 396g, 14oz | 425g, 15oz | | 497g |
size | 119 x 82 x 46 mm (4.69 x 3.24 x 1.81″) | 121 x 89.6 x 41.9mm (4.8 x 3.5 x 1.7“) | | 130.4 x 93.5 x 63.1mm |
battery | BLS-5 320 shot | BLN-1 360 shot | | BLN-1 360 shot |
HD video | | | | |
max. output quality | 24Mbps 30p | 20Mbps 30p | ? | 24Mbps 30p |
ext. mic | no | via acc. port | | 3.5mm port |
other features | | | | |
focus peaking | yes | via Art Filter | yes | yes |
Color Creator | yes | no | yes | yes |
Photo Story | yes | no | yes | yes |
Art filters | yes | yes | yes | yes |
Art Filter variations/effects | yes | no | yes | yes |
auto lens priority OIS | yes | no | yes | yes |
photo/omdvsothers.txt · Last modified: 2014/12/29 00:32 by gary1